Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also send to grass) to knock down [outdoor prize-fights were held on the grass].

1819		‘One of the Fancy’ Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress 57: The shame, that aught but death should see him grass’d, / All fir’d the veteran’s pluck.
1821		‘Battles’ in Fancy I XVIII 425: Acton placed a blow, when the Black grassed him by a heavy blow on the mouth.
1832		Egan Bk of Sports 160: The bustling movements of the fives a pair, / That, right and left, essay to grass him flat.
1842		Flash (N.Y.) 10 July 2/3: Bob had the best of the first few rounds; but was grassed in each.
1848		Bell’s Life in Sydney 18 Mar. 1/4: Ben again grassed.
1853		N.Y. Clipper n.p.: [A] tremendous right-hander on the point of his left jaw [...] which sent him to grass, a fair knock down blow .
1855		(con. 1824) Fights for the Championship 95: Ward [...] fibbed him with effect on the nut-crackers and grassed him.
1867		Bell’s Life in Sydney 2 Mar. 5/2: Both pasted away atthe nut [...] a close, and both ‘grassed’.
1873		J. O’Connor Wanderings of a Vagabond 99: These escaped the worse fate of many of their companions, who were received with such a volley of bottles as sent numbers of them ‘to grass,’ not to ‘come up to time’ again that night, either.
1888		Sporting Life 11 Dec. n.p.: Just on the completion of the minute grassed his man with a swinging right-hander [F&H].
1898		Regiment 2 July 213/2: ‘Did you happen to grass a bloater?’ enquired a larky skipper.
1927		(con. 1835–40) P. Herring Bold Bendigo 138: He’s grassed all comers so far, but candidly I think his colours will be lowered by Young Brassey.

2. to kill, to defeat.

1848		Dickens Dombey and Son (1970) 712: He was severely fibbed by the Larkey one, and heavily grassed.
1881		Daily Tel. 26 Nov. n.p.: The Doctor had killed twenty out of twenty-five, while his opponent had grassed seventeen of the same number [F&H].
1892		J. Newman Scamping Tricks 119: I saw I was grassed, so I took his measurement.

3. (Aus.) of a woman, to lead a hedonistic life in her husband’s absence.

1913		Truth (Sydney) 4 May 5/5: Many lady friends do visit / Of her place, I’m tellin' you; / Widders what are out a-grassin’. / Single gells, and others too.
1921		Truth (Brisbane) 13 Feb. 3/5: It’s a great pity they had nothing better to do than to be grassing in Wickham Park.

4. (US black) to have sexual intercourse outdoors, esp. lit. on the grass.

1945		C.M. Webster Town Meeting Country 238: Most of our sins are of lustful bodies. Not much is said about who is grassing who [DARE].
1974		Lewis How To Talk Yankee 15: Grassin’. . . Pursuit of the fleshly delights al fresco. ‘Janie, when are you and I goin’ grassin’?’ [DARE].
1982–83		in DARE File.